text:
Same-Day Analysis: NAIAS 2016: Premium brand introductions take charge at Detroit Auto Show
Pre-show intelligence suggests that at least four all-new premium brand sedans (Genesis, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo) will be introduced, along with sports coupés from Infiniti and Lexus. Among the premium-brand introductions, SUVs may take a back seat.
IHS Automotive perspective
- Significance: Particularly among premium/luxury brands, more sedans than SUVs or crossovers will be introduced at NAIAS 2016, along with a healthy dose of performance models.
- Implications: Although US consumers still display a preference for SUVs, product lifecycle developments have conspired to weigh the schedule in favour of sedans, particularly for premium brands.
- Outlook: The show will be the backdrop for premium brand statements, from the latest versions of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class to the Volvo S90, along with Hyundai's North American introduction of its upcoming Genesis brand. Although the list of introductions favours large sedans, the outlook for this segment remains for largely flat sales, as consumers continue to prefer SUVs. However, these entries are also statement vehicles for the established brands. They continue to represent important volumes, set the tone for the brands, and often provide the platform for introducing new technology to the brands..
The 2016 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), with media and industry days scheduled for the week of 11 January 2016, promises to hold several significant new car introductions. Also, being held on the heels of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES, held in Las Vegas on 6-8 January), technology and concept announcements made there will continue to be sources of discussion throughout NAIAS.
Acura will be showing the future of its sedan family design, with the Acura Precision Concept, as well as having the NSX in full production form make an auto show appearance. The company is keeping the concept under wraps until the formal reveal, sharing only a teaser image ahead of the show. Acura appointed a new chief in July 2015, Jon Ikeda. Ikeda has said in interviews and presentations since that the brand's next concern is updating its sedan lineup - with about 63% of its 2015 sales being sport utility vehicles (SUVs), the brand has found a more successful formula for its SUVs than its cars. We expect this concept to communicate a more distant vision of Acura's future design. With Ikeda having come to lead the division through the design side of the house, Acura may continue to elevate its focus on design going forward.
Audi has confirmed a concept and discussion of its future technology implementation for CES, but for NAIAS the company is rumoured to be bringing an SUV concept, the Q6 h-tron, as well as a production car. The production car is not confirmed, but widely speculated to be either the A5 or Q5. The Q6 h-tron concept is likely to be a follow-up on the e-tron Quattro concept shown at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, and suggests Audi is looking at further applications for hydrogen fuel-cell technology. The brand showed an A7 Sportback h-tron Quatro concept at the 2015 Los Angeles auto show.
One of the most closely watched introductions will be Hyundai's introduction of its new premium/luxury brand, Genesis. The brand will launch with the next generation of the car currently known as the Equus, which will be named the G90. Hyundai is beginning a long journey with the creation of a brand intended to take on Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Acura and Lexus, though has really been working toward this ultimate goal since introducing the first generation Genesis sedan. The G90 was introduced in South Korea in November 2015, with the NAIAS the first auto show introduction.
Infiniti's primary news will be the Q60 coupé. The two-door is a platform-mate to the Q50 sedan, and will also feature the new engine family. In the weeks ahead of the show, Infiniti released information on the new 3.0-litre V-6. The new engine will replace the venerable 3.5-litre V-6 engine. Infiniti's QX60 SUV also takes a facelift and the 3.0-litre engine. We forecast that the Q60 will perform well, injecting a sporting personality in the showroom, with global sales in the range of 17,000 units per annum and providing between 6% and 7% of Infiniti's global volumes.
At the 2015 New York Auto Show, Lincoln surprised many with the introduction of the Continental concept. At NAIAS, the production car is set to be revealed. For Lincoln, the vehicle is the next step in its efforts to revive. The MKC and MKX have been well received, but the Continental is part of a segment under pressure as consumer tastes continue to shift toward SUVs. Sized near the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Lincoln's global volumes will be much smaller. The future of the Lincoln brand largely rest on its ability to grow in China, as that market presents a higher volume opportunity than the mature US market; Lincoln is not a notable player in most other global markets. The sedan is due to go into production at Ford's plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, United States.
Mercedes-Benz will show two convertibles and introduce an all-new E-Class. The SLK has had a facelift and a new name, the SLC, while the Mercedes-AMG S65 is also due. The E-Class is expected to raise the Mercedes' bar on semi-autonomous features, beyond the latest S-Class. The E-Class moves to Mercedes' MRA Mid-Size platform, a rear-drive architecture introduced first under the C-Class. The E-Class is the company's second-best seller globally, behind the C-Class. Although E-Class sales are expected to have contracted in 2015 as the model was in changeover, sales of the new generation are forecast to regain to about 318,000 units in 2017. A coupé is also in the works, expected for early 2017.
Volvo is using its NAIAS stage to introduce the all-new S90 sedan, which replaces the ageing and slow-selling S80, using the same scalable product architecture (SPA) of the XC90. Volvo released photos and initial details in December. Volvo is still on its journey of revival, with the XC90 making strong strides in proving the brand's capability for luxury and technology. The S90 will follow on that strong note, and include a hybrid powertrain as well. IHS forecasts that it will perform better in the market than the S80, but is also expected to remain a comparatively small player. In contract to Mercedes' E-Class sales, the S90's global sales are forecast to reach about 52,000 units in 2017. Volvo has been aggressive in its introduction of advanced infotainment features and working heavily on developing autonomous and semi-autonomous solution, including a concept at the Los Angeles show focused on re-imagining an interior able to convert from driver to driverless space and announcing at CES that it is working to develop intelligent, high bandwidth streaming capabilities for future autonomous vehicles. The S90 will be the first to add large-animal detection to its forward emergency braking systems as well as a system to keep the car in its lane up to 81 mph without relying on recognising and following a car in front of it. While remaining a smaller volume player, Volvo has come on strong with hi-tech, luxury entries.
Along with these key entries, NAIAS will serve as a backdrop for other performance-oriented premium models. Lexus is expected to deliver a production coupé to be called LC. Using an new rear-drive platform and the 5.0-litre V-8 from the RC F and GS F coupé and sedan, reports suggest a possible USD100,000 price tag to compete with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz SL - we have not seen the product yet, and it also has potential to turn out to be one of the "stars" of the show. BMW's presence at NAIAS will focus on its M performance brand, with the M2 coupé and X4 M40i SUV slated for introduction. Porsche is due to show the 911 Turbo family at NAIAS, a 540-hp Turbo and 580-hp Turbo S and US sales in April 2016.
Outlook and implications
At time of writing, the 2016 NAIAS is poised to favour premium cars. The show will be the backdrop for premium brand statements, from the latest versions of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class to Volvo S90, along with Hyundai's North American introduction of its upcoming Genesis brand. Although the list of introductions favours large sedans, the outlook for this vehicle segment remains for largely flat sales, as consumers continue to prefer SUVs. However, these entries are also statement vehicles for the established brands. They represent important volumes, set the tone for the brands, and often provide the platform for introducing new technology to the brands. The performance entries are similarly important from an image perspective, though they do not carry similar volume potential.
About this article
The above article is from IHS Automotive Same-Day Analysis of automotive news, events and trends, and is a deliverable of the World Markets Automotive Service. The service averages thirty stories per day and also provides competitor and country intelligence. Get a free trial.
- Porsche ends diesel production
- EU passenger car registrations increase 7.1% y/y during January – ACEA
- Maven launches car-sharing service in Toronto
- Geely to invest USD5-bil. in setting up NEV production base in China
- Western European car sales start 2018 strongly with 5.6% y/y increase in January – forecast
- Staying ahead of the mobility curve
- Looking Beyond Sport Utilities, Pickups and Sedans to the Other Body Types
- New vehicle sales in South Korea grow 8.7% y/y in January


text:
Monday March 19, 2018
ACCC Notes 2018 Product Safety Goals, Including ACL Update
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) March 14 announced nine product safety targets for 2018. These came in its report (bit.ly/2pfqpxr) on its priorities. The broadest is to seek "progressive reforms" to the agency's authorities under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).
Chairman Rod Sims explained (bit.ly/2HCd5Kc) this desire in a March 15 speech before Australia's National Consumer Congress. He said ACCC's powers are reactive, and he envisioned stronger safe design mandates for producers. He suggested that costs would be minimal for companies already doing so and that consumer trust in emerging products might increase.
"We are lagging behind the UK, EU, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and Brazil. It’s time we catch up with them and provide Australians with a reason to have greater confidence in the safety of the goods they purchase."
The other eight either reflect ongoing issues for ACCC (PSL, 3/5/18) or echo challenges voiced by its counterparts, such as in the EU (see related story) or U.S. (PSL, 3/12/18):

domain: news


text:
April 26, 2021—To better assist shop owners with their business-building tactics, National Oil and Lube News has compiled a short list of essential leadership material from some of its favorite sources. Here's a look at a few must-read articles from the past week.
Coming up with a script is only the beginning.
The Marketing Challenges of Finding New Franchises— Entrepreneur
Many young brands make the mistake of taking the approach that more is better.
There are a few critical stages in the process where applications are getting held up. Here are the common problems and what you can do to keep your application moving forward to funding.


text:
What a way to ring in the new year.
An unusual nail salon chain that operates in Russia, Ukraine and Los Angeles has shocked Instagram with its latest cutting-edge creation — 3D breasts pierced with tiny nipple rings.
In the quick clip posted this week, a Nail Sunny manicurist adds circular layers of a clay-like substance onto an acrylic nail to create a nipple shape. The nail is painted beige, while the “nipple” itself is pink with white flecks. A ring adorned with a star hangs off each “breast.”
The look has udderly divided the social media platform, with some of the chain’s 1.9 million followers pumped about the unique nail art. Others think the design and execution suck.
“That nail art…..Oh starry night, the nipples are brightly blinging!” one Instagrammer whistled.
“I’m gonna get these,” another vowed in the comments on the post, which has racked up more than 6,700 likes.
Other Instagrammers hammered the nail salon chain.
“Vulgar and very tasteless,” one user clipped.
“If you are going to be provocative and dirty, then at least do it flawlessly. Sloppy execution makes it worse,” another ripped.
“Those boobies look botched, but I get the idea. C for creativity,” a third conceded.
One commenter assumed they were donut nails — before the stars completed the look.
The Post reached out to Nail Sunny for comment.
The salon chain — which boasts 16 international locations and two in LA — courted controversy with past wacky designs that have incorporated real food (tortilla strips garnished with herbs); live ants sealed in a set of clear nails; and dead prawn heads.
Speaking of questionable Russian manicures, celebrities such as Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber have nailed that trend, which involves removing the cuticle with an electric filer to allow the polish to reach the base of the nail bed.


text:
Facing strong consumer demand coupled with supply chain shortages, innovation is needed in chicken marketing and sales.
“We all know demand has been extremely strong. It’s a matter of looking at how we can adapt to what the demands of the consumer are and how can we influence the consumer to have the demand picture better fit the supply chain today,” Sarah Havala, director, protein commodities, Cleveland Research, explained.
Havala will share thoughts on the retail, foodservice, and supply chain trends that will have the most impact in the future and the opportunities these will create for chicken marketers at the 2022 edition of Chicken Marketing Summit.
Make plans to attend the 2022 edition of Chicken Marketing Summit scheduled for July 25-27, 2022 at the Château Élan in Braselton, Georgia. Registration is now open with early savings available.
Shifting promotions to what’s available
Over the past two years, supply chain shortages challenged the entire chicken supply chain at a time when consumer demand for these products continued to grow. From drive through lines to empty store shelves, product shortages have frustrated consumers.
“We can’t necessarily come up with a new product. If the product isn’t there, it isn’t there. It’s a matter of finding the solutions,” Havala said.
“I think the best thing that chicken marketers can do is not be afraid of being the first mover on a new item that is more available in the supply chain or being more agile and creative on promotions in order to make sure that demands better fit what product is going to be available.”
For example, brands can consider promoting chicken breast meat over wings or dark over white meat, depending on what is available.
“There are ways that they can leverage what’s happening on the demand side of the equation with the economic picture as a whole and with supply chain trends to be innovative, reach their customers and get the products that they need,” added Havala.
“It’s really important that we allow consumers and chicken buyers to guide our decisions all the way up the supply chain.”
Attend the 2022 Chicken Marketing Summit
The 2022 Chicken Marketing Summit will be held at Chateau Elan in Braselton, Georgia on July 25-27. Serving a unique cross section of the chicken supply chain, Chicken Marketing Summit explores issues and trends in food marketing and consumer chicken consumption patterns and purchasing behavior.
NEW FOR 2022: Submit your free nomination for Chicken Marketer of the Year.
For more information and to attend, visit: www.wattglobalmedia.com/chickenmarketingsummit/.


text:
Can Homes For Sale Keep Up With Demand?
For the past few years, inventory has been the main issue affecting housing market conditions. Many markets had fewer homes for sale than normal and that meant higher prices and more competition among interested home buyers. Then, last year, there was improvement. Inventory started to climb again, price increases began to slow, and sales rose. Combined with declining mortgage rates, conditions were better balanced than they'd been in a while. So how does for-sale inventory look so far this year? Well, according to newly released numbers from the National Association of Realtors' consumer website, the number of homes for sale has started to decline again. In fact, year-over-year, there were 164,000 fewer homes for sale across the country in January. That could mean a more competitive spring for home buyers. Of course, the conditions you'll find if you're shopping for a house will largely depend on where you're shopping. For example, while homes for sale sold faster in cities like Oklahoma City, Hartford, and Raleigh, they were selling more slowly in Las Vegas, Boston, and Detroit.


text:
Spring is a time of renewal as plants emerge and begin bearing tomatoes, okra and corn. But its also a time of mourning because some of us have a tendency to murder those newly emerged plants with overwatering and general incompetence.
But everyone deserves to eat fresh, locally grown produce. The metro has long been a destination for farmers to sell produce to restaurants and grocers, but farmers markets put shoppers closer to the food by connecting them with the people who grew it.
We have consumers that have a desire to be involved in their community or at least to know their community, said Meriruth Cohenour, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry agritourism coordinator. Shopping at the farmers market lets them have a conversation with the person that grew, picked and presented their food. It makes them feel more connected.
While the interaction is important, she said the product quality is a real driver for consumers.
Theres a big difference in the taste of a vegetable that was picked yesterday versus something that spent a week coming in on a truck, she said. There are varieties of produce you cant find in grocery stores.
The number of markets is matched by the growing hunger for minimally processed food. Cohenour said the integration of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits at many of the venues promises to deliver better, healthier food to a new segment of the population.
I think the availability of SNAP at the farmers market really opens up who can shop there and who wants to shop there, she said. There are also some programs through the tribes that provide vouchers for farmers markets.
OSU-OKC Farmers Market
9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays year-round
OSU-OKC Horticulture Pavilion
400 N. Portland Ave.
9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays year-round
Oklahoma City Farmers Public Market, first floor
311 S. Klein Ave.
Delmar Sunday Market
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays beginning May 7
Delmar Gardens Food Truck Park
1225 SW Second St.
Edmond Farmers Market
8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays through October
(closed May 6 during Edmond Arts Festival)
30 W. First St., Edmond
8 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesdays June 7-Aug. 16
1501 W. Covell Road
Norman Farm Market
4-7 p.m. Tuesdays and 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Saturdays through October
Cleveland County Fairgrounds
615 E. Robinson St., Norman
Midwest City Farmers Market
9 a.m.-1 p.m. every other Saturday October through May, and then every Saturday June through September
Soldier Creek Oklahoma Home Community Education building
9104 SE 15th St.
The Farmers Market at Central Park
3:30-7 p.m. Thursdays and 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays May 4 through Sept. 2
Central Park Multi-Purpose Pavilion
700 S. Broadway St., Moore
Kinfolk Farmers Market
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays through October
Northeast Community and Cultural Center
1128 NE 23rd St.
OU Medical Center Farmers Market
11 a.m.-2 p.m. the first Thursday of each month
The Childrens Hospital atrium
1200 N. Childrens Ave.
El Reno Farmers Market
8 a.m.-noon Wednesdays and Saturdays beginning June 11
Ross True Value
100 S. Choctaw Ave., El Reno
Print headline: Pick-up lines; Farmers markets connect growers and consumers for the freshest local produce.


text:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced an update on an initial recall of Bumble Bee tuna fish on March 7. The tuna company has expanded the list of their initial recall of specific codes to now include “all products” affected with the recall because they failed to meet the company’s standards to quality seal tightness.
According to the FDA, there is a high chance that food spoilage will result when organisms or pathogens find their way into the finished product as a result of loose seals or seams.
Consumers who have purchased any of the affected Bumble Bee canned tuna fish should dispose of the entire product and avoid consumption.
The initial recall first announced on March 6, affected specific codes that were distributed nationwide to retailers between Jan. 17-Feb. 28; the expanded recall list will now include distribution dates between Jan. 17-March 6.
Bumble Bee is working to expedite efforts to inform all their retailers to remove every can off the shelves and out of consumer’s reach.
The San Diego-based tuna company’s assures the consumer public – after addressing the identifying issue on a manufacturing line – has now been corrected.
The list of specific UPC numbers and Can Lot codes are extensive; the entire recall list is available at the FDA website.
No illness or complaints have been reported as a result of this recall to date.
For any questions or concerns pertaining to this recall, Bumble Bee Consumer Affairs is available 24 hours a day at 800-800-8572.
If you found this article informative, receive email updates from the National Supermarket Recalls Examiner whenever a new article is published by clicking on the ‘subscribe’ link located at the bottom of the page.
Other articles published by Sue can be found here:
Follow and "Like" Sue on Facebook for all her Examiner columns at:https://www.facebook.com/RobinsonProduction
©Sue Robinson, All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced without prior permissions from the author. Partial reposting is permitted with a link back to the original article.


text:
SINGAPORE -- The Trans-Pacific Partnership, the moribund U.S.-led multilateral regional free trade framework, should have included China as an observer, said veteran U.S. trade negotiator Charlene Barshefsky at a forum in Singapore on Saturday.
The former U.S. trade representative said President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the pact on his first day in office was "dangerous" to the global economy. Trump withdrew to fulfill an election promise, but the move has worried U.S. trading partners that Washington is becoming protectionist.
Barshefsky said the TPP was "one of the responses" to a more nationalist Chinese economic policy under President Xi Jinping. "Instead of taking [TPP] as a systemic approach to moving China back to reform by globally acceptable means, the [Trump] administration pulled out, leaving a vacuum [and] China's more mercantilist approach largely unchanged, undisciplined," Barshefsky said. "That's extremely dangerous for the global economy."
Barshefsky, who was a part of the talks that brought China into the World Trade Organization in the late 1990s and early 2000s, spoke at a panel discussion on international trade titled, "Staying Interconnected and Interdependent," at the Singapore Summit.
"China should have been in the room as an observer the entire time," Barshefsky said. She called the decision to exclude Beijing a mistake in U.S. trade policy. She also noted that the global trade framework under the WTO is the "best way" to move trade liberalization forward, and said the U.S. should have worked to find a better formula.
In the same panel discussion, Peter Costello, Australia's former treasurer, said: "We would very much like to see TPP go ahead," noting that there is a move among the 11 countries remaining to revive the deal. Costello pointed out that one of the reasons for the surge in trade nationalism is "the perception that international organizations have failed."
Ken Kobayashi, chairman of Japanese trading house Mitsubushi Corp., called on governments to revive the TPP. "Definitely we need an international framework for free trade, before protectionism [starts] taking root," he warned. Echoing Costello, Kobayashi said: "We need to quickly conclude TPP."
He said the TPP 11 agreement must be "high quality," like the original. "Hopefully, we will conclude in principle within this year. It is quite important because TPP 11 could become a so-called benchmark regional trade agreement [for others] including RCEP," Kobayashi said, referring to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, an Asian trade pact that includes China.
Kamal Nath, India's former minister for commerce and industry, said regional trade agreements are very important because they are "building blocks to the WTO." He stressed the importance of promoting rules in trade, rather than trade liberalization itself. Such rules, which include areas such as intellectual property rights protection, should also cover trade in services, he said.


text:
Alliances between large manufacturers is not something exclusive to Europe. Many brands want to enter the popular electrical market. At the end of last year the Avatr brand was born, a new Chinese brand made up of some of the most illustrious names in the Asian country such as Changan, CATL and Huawei. The newly founded company wants to be one of the protagonists of the electrical segment, and to achieve this they hope to launch up to four different models in the coming years, all of them based on a new next-generation platform called CHN.
We do not need to introduce CATL, the world’s largest manufacturer of batteries for electric cars, or Huawei, one of the most important technology companies in the market. However, you may not know Changan Automobile Group. For those who don’t know, the company was previously called Changan NIO and is one of the largest electric car manufacturers in China. So with all that you can already imagine that the potential of the Avatr brand is most attractive due to the protagonists behind it.
To achieve their goal of popularity and sales, the company knows of the need to have a variable platform that is capable of adapting to different models. That architecture has just been unveiled showing the first details. Will be able to stretch to a 3.11 meter wheelbase, and is easily adaptable to multiple body styles such as sedans, SUVs or MPVs with front or total traction systems through the incorporation of two electric motors.
Dubbed the CHN platform, it will feature all the capabilities and technologies of three of China’s most powerful and important brands. In a statement, CATL has acknowledged that the platform is expected to not only be used for high-performance, high-range vehicles, but will also offer advanced technology, high intelligence and high security functions. In all these fields, surely Huawei does its bit as one of the largest technology companies in the world.
We will not have to wait long to see the first product born from this collaboration. In the coming months the arrival of the Avatr 11 is scheduled, the company’s first model. CATL will provide a system of Cell-To-Pack batteries that will offer two autonomy options: 555 and 680 kilometers according to the Chinese CLTC approval cycle. With a voltage of 750 volts, the battery will be able to recover a range of 200 kilometers in just 10 minutes. As for the rest of the vehicle, little is known, although all the information will surely be revealed soon.
The CHN platform will be the cornerstone of the new company. Four models will be born from it, although it is not expected that the offer will increase in the future. By the way, the name of the platform not only wants to evoke the country of birth, it also wants to coincide with the three companies involved: C for Changan, H for Huawei, and N for CATL headquarters in Ningde. The majority shareholder is Changan with 39.02% of the company, followed by CATL with 28.99% of the shares. As a minority, NIO only has 4.62% of the company, a minimal participation after selling a large part of its shareholding to Changan.


text:
TAILOR MADE: Gieves & Hawkes, the iconic Savile Row tailor whose high-profile client list includes Prince William and David Beckham, has tapped former Brioni artistic director Jason Basmajian as creative director, according to industry sources. The appointment is due to be announced in the coming weeks.
Gieves & Hawkes, which since 1912 has been headquartered at a white columned mansion at No. 1 Savile Row and traces its roots to 1771, last April was acquired by Trinity Ltd., its long-term licensee in greater China. Trinity, which is part of the Li & Fung Group, operates more than 100 Gieves & Hawkes stores in the region. Gieves & Hawkes holds three Royal Warrants and also creates ceremonial uniforms for the British military.


text:
Current news Dubai, where you want it, when you want it.
Current News Dubai is a Pakistani English-language online and digital news media owned and managed by Universal Art Production Dubai https://www.universalartpro.com/ by Aslam Jawaid
It is the most popular online news for the Pakistani and Indian communities in Dubai UAE for social events.
This is the largest selling Urdu-language daily newspaper in Hyderabad city Pakistan still in circulation, with its first edition published in 1996.
The Current News Magazine is Started by Mr. Ali Qureshi from Hyderabad Pakistan and Aslam Jawaid is the Bureau Chief of Dubai Name is Current News Dubai.
The Current News Dubai is not printing on a hard copy this is just online media Section.
Vasu Jit Kalia is Editor in Cheif in Dubai
and Naheed Khan is doing Marketing
MEET THE TEAM
Vasu Jit Kalia


text:
Organised by CII´s cement industry division on December 16, 2015, at Hotel Lalit, New Delhi, the event featured around 200 delegates, including top executives of cement companies, government officials and policymakers
A 68-year-old company, New Consolidated Construction Company Ltd (NCCCL) has been delivering contracts for various structures across the country. With an order book of Rs 4,500 crore, the company happily boasts repeat orders from clients.
JK Lakshmi Cement has tied up with Snapdeal to sell its products on the e-commerce platform. Products such as PoP, ready-mix concrete, autoclaved aerated concrete blocks, gypsum plaster will be offered among others
Three concurrent events - CEMENT EXPO 2015, 3rd INDIAN CEMENT REVIEW CONFERENCE and the maiden INDIAN CEMENT REVIEW AWARDS - brought the cement industry together on a common platform; saluted resilience and excellence


text:
Interactive real estate site Zillow has launched a new platform for allowing advertisers to reach the lucrative market of potential home buyers. Zillow Home Direct Ads take advantage of the company’s database of home values and neighborhood information to target ads to specific demographics. For example, Zillow can target ads to people that are likely to be moving soon, or to homeowners whose home has a certain value. The same type of advertising has been done through snail mail for decades (think flyers for Home Depot), but Zillow's approach takes the same type of targeting to the Web.
Perhaps confidence in this type of advertising is what has convinced investors to put an estimated $87 million into the company. On one hand, advertisers will be reaching people on the verge of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on everything from mortgages to painters, on the other, there are lots of competitors going after the same set of people and the housing market in the US is continuing to weaken.
For its part, Zillow’s statistics are fairly impressive: they attract four million unique visitors per month, 90% of which own a home, with an average household income of $90,000 per user.


text:
Owner of Atlanta Special FX Michael Willett told us “We are honored to be chosen by Glow Motion as their first distributor. The cutting edge is where we want to stay and we are willing to take risks that some other trend followers are not. "
Atlanta, Georgia (PRWEB) April 04, 2014
On Wednesday following the recent announcement of Atlanta Special FX expanding offices to 4 new states, a new partnership has been forged to launch a brand new LED technology. This new LED bracelet pioneered by Glow Motion, a Nashville based technology think tank, will change the visual landscape of concert venues and gatherings across the globe.
Unlike the shortcomings of other simple LED bands, this bracelet offers full RGB color range, bitmapping ability, all with DMX control from any lighting console; so long as you have the proprietary Pathfinder and antenna produced by Glow Motion.
Atlanta Special FX an atmospheric special effects manufacturer and rental group based in Atlanta Georgia was first choice to launch the ground breaking Glow Motion technology. Over the years Atlanta Special FX has built an extensive database of artists, performers, and corporations in over 70 countries and have become the go to company for those intrigued by exciting new technology.
This new alliance will provide a fully interactive lightshow to country, hip hop, EDM and rock and roll concerts around the globe. This new technology is similar to expensive LED wall but this time the crowd is the LED wall, and a fully interactive one at that. At a fraction of the cost crowds will be transformed into waves, shapes, even company logos as each LED bracelet communicates with one another and the group.
This exciting LED light show is capable of creating and engaging crowds of people and even those watching the events on TV or from the air. Owner of Atlanta Special FX Michael Willett told us “We are honored to be chosen by Glow Motion as their first distributor. The cutting edge is where we want to stay and we are willing to take risks that some other trend followers are not. We love the opportunity to work alongside companies like Glow Motion that share ground breaking vision.”
These LED interactive bracelets are currently being negotiated by the production arm of Atlanta Special FX to be at sporting events for NFL, NBA, NHL as well as Fortune 500 companies and corporate events. The LED bracelets can be rented or purchased for you event from Atlanta Special FX, Nashville Special FX, Dallas Special FX, Denver Special FX or St Louis Special FX.


text:
A Fox Business News report suggests that Apple's board is getting skittish about a long lull in new product releases and may even be putting "pressure" on the company's CEO to produce a game changer of the sort his predecessor was famous for. "What have they had lately? They have the iPad, they've had a few other things, but they don't have anything innovating from what came from Steve Jobs. And that concern is basically manifesting into pressure on Tim Cook to basically innovate, to do something fast," Fox Business News correspondent Charlie Gasparino said. He said his information about "concern at the board level" at Apple came from sources inside the company. He noted that while the board of directors "is now worried about what they have in the pipeline" and concerned about the company's stock price dipping 35 per cent from its all-time high, there's no indication that Cook's job is in jeopardy. In public appearances, Cook has said that Apple has plenty of great technology cooking in its product pipeline. There's been speculation that Cupertino plans to unveil a smart watch or some other form of wearable tech as its next big market-defining product a la the Jobs roadmap, and Apple hasn't done much to quash those rumours.
Owners of the new Google Nexus 7 tablet have reported a number of issues with the device, including erratic touch screen and keyboard functionality and the GPS not working properly. One user said that the problems with the touchscreen on his device is "almost to the point where it is unusable." Writing on the Google Product Forums, Jason L, added that although the device functioned fine at first, with only the occasional double tap registering on the keyboard, the problem got progressively worse. Now it is also registering ghost taps no where near the actual touch point he said. Another user said that he was now on his third device, and had experienced the same touchscreen problem with all of them. Many users have installed the Yet Another MultiTouch Test app which test the accuracy of touchscreen devices by visually tracking what is being registered. There are numerous reports of the register jumping all over the place, the screen thinking there are two fingers when there is just one, and random ghost touches. Complaints about the keyboard and touchscreen on the Google forum now run to 12 pages. For more on the additional reported issues, follow the link above.
Barack Obama has hosted a private meeting attended by a number of tech and telecoms chiefs to discuss US government surveillance, sources have told the Politico blog. Amongst those present were Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google vice president and computer scientist Vint Cerf. The meeting was held last Thursday and was attended by Obama in person, the sources said. US tech and telecoms firms are greatly concerned about the damage recent revelations about NSA snooping on customer's private information could have on their reputation and commercial interests, particularly abroad. The meeting appears to be part of a wider move by the US government to engage with American tech firms and allow a public debate, although Obama has been keen to keep meetings with industry off the record and behind closed doors.
One in five children in the UK who use social media have been a victim of cyberbullying, with 10 per cent suffering daily abuse, a survey by children's charity the NSPCC has found. The abuse is not limited to playground bullying. Children also reported threats of serious physical violence including rape, as well as stalking, racism and encouragement of self-harm. The charity has called for a new strategy to tackle the problem "before it gets out of hand". The research was carried out through talking to 1,024 11 to 16-year-olds from across the UK and is part of a wider report which will be published in November. Claire Lilley, the NSPCC's safer technology expert, said, "We are particularly worried about the impact of these risks on younger children, and this is what our forthcoming report will focus on. We must ensure young people have the confidence to speak out against this abuse, so that they don't feel isolated and without anywhere to turn."


text:
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Review: Enjoying My Final Hurrah With Drake
Telltale reveals new screenshots and details from The Walking Dead Season 3
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 will be re-released for PC, PS4, Xbox One this Tuesday
Nintendo will publish an official NES history book this November
Nintendo releases alternate Splatoon covers to celebrate this weekend's Splatfest
Xbox Store Today: We Happy Few, Hyper Light Drifter, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1+2, more
Daily Scoop: July 27, 2016 – Gotta catch more of these t-shirts!
Hello Games encourages players to “Fight,” “Trade,” “Survive” in No Man’s Sky
1992 Dream Team and 2016 USA Basketball team will take the court in NBA 2K17
Sega announces a January 24, 2017 release date for Yakuza Zero
- Love Warp Zoned?
SUPPORT US HERE
Rumor: Xbox 720/Durango will officially be known as Xbox Fusion
We’re less than three weeks away from Microsoft’s “Next Xbox” event, but Big Redmond may have dropped a huge clue as to what their next-generation system will be called. It’s not the Durango and it’s definitely not the Xbox 720.
It’s the Xbox Fusion! According to a report on Fusible, Microsoft has registered more than a dozen domain names that use the Xbox Fusion name including XboxFusion.com, XboxFusion.net, XboxFusion.org, XboxFusion.co.uk, and many others.
But before you start shouting about how much better the Xbox Fusion will be than the PS4, remember that this is just speculation right now. And its speculation based on domain names that were initially registered in 2004, which is before the public even had their first glimpse of the Xbox 360. So the next Xbox could be called the Xbox Fusion (Fusible further opines that the infinity symbol claimed to be the logo of the console also means “fusion”) or it could be something else entirely.
Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Xbox 720 come out on top.
It's Dangerous To Go Alone! Read This.
More From Warp Zoned
Bungie copyrights possible titles for their New Universe
Warner Bros. has (probably) registered more Batman: Arkham Asylum-related domains
Rumor: Xbox 720/Durango reveal scheduled for April


text:
Successful Kickstarter company, LIFX is finally shipping its Wi-Fi connected smart lightbulbs. The Australian hardware startup originally promised in its Kickstarter campaign to ship the product earlier than this. In fact it was promising to deliver by March, so they are officially late! However, they have managed to secure major retail partners for a consumer launch later this year and early next year.
LIFX bulbs will go on sale through Best Buy online in January 2014 in the U.S. and some global retail partners including DickSmith in Australia and John Lewis in the UK. These sales are all above the existing $10 million in pre-sales LIFX has done via Kickstarter and its own website. Not including the $4.6 million it has raised from private investors.
Co-founder and Director Andrew Birt says that they acknowledge that they’re behind schedule, but that the smart bulb race “hasn’t been won yet,” referring to the battle that industry giant Philips has set with its Hue series. Philips introduced two new types of Hue bulbs and starter kits recently, effectively tripling its product line up in a single campaign. LIFX will offer screw, bayonet and down light models from the get-go, however, and unlike the Philips Hue, they don’t require a base to connect to Wi-Fi to talk to each other and to your iOS or Android device.
The LIFX team has been working hard to repair some production issues and start shipping devices to pre-order customers, but they have also been working in the background on other efforts while that work was ongoing. “We’ve been building our retail and distribution network in the background while the core team focused on development and production…Lots of cool integrations coming too, with our API / SDK set for release in the coming weeks. “, said Birt.
LIFX may be starting late in the game, but the category is new and Philips may have done them justice by making customers more conscious that this type of product exists. The key to winning the race will be informing people that LIFX is a better bulb that provides a better experience despite the cost factor (individual bulbs cost $30 more per unit than the Philips series). Working independent of a base is a huge advantage though. We will have to wait and see what the customers will want.
[Image via kickstarter]


text:
Ballmer talks up new security 'shield' Video
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer tells Silicon Valley's Churchill Club that his company will have to raise the bar on security for Windows in the aftermath of MSBlast.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer tells a packed house at Silicon Valley's Churchill Club how "terrible" he felt at hearing the news of MSBlast. In conversation with Roger McNamee, Co-founder and Managing Director of Silver Lake Partners and Integral Capital Partners, Ballmer talks openly about emerging markets, Linux and stock options and has compliments for Google, Apple and IBM.
At a Churchill Club event in Santa Clara, Calif., Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer tells moderator Roger McNamee of Elevation Partners there will be no overnight transformations but that his company is persistent and will offer healthy competition in the ad space. When asked about whether there is anything about Google that makes him think they're nuts, he says "yes".
During a conversation at a Churchill Club event, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer embraces change and says Microsoft is growing in terms of percentage growth, absolute growth and growth relative to the competition.
Microsoft's CEO talks to venture capitalist and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman at an event sponsored by the Churchill Club in Santa Clara, Calif.
The Microsoft CEO talks to venture capitalist and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman about how Windows can win the middle ground in the smartphone wars, at a Q&A session sponsored by the Churchill Club in Santa Clara, Calif.
In an interview at Silicon Valley's Churchill Club, Paul Otellini calls WiMax "disruptive technology." The chipmaker chief tells NPR's Moira Gunn where he thinks the wireless standard can lead communications.
At Gartner's Symposium and ITxpo in Orlando, Fla., Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer tells Gartner analysts why consumers won't see a drop in price for the Windows operating system software.
In a face-to-face meeting with CNET News.com, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer talks up the upcoming version of Windows and says any PCs that ship between now and launch of Vista will be able to upgrade.
At Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Florida, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer\r\nanswers questions about competing with Linux globally. He also comments\r\non Bill Gates' prediction that security will drop from the top three IT\r\nconcerns within the next two years.


text:
Plaid cofounders Zach Perret and William Hockey in their San Francisco office in 2018.
Timothy Archibald/The Forbes Collection
Four Forbes Under 30 veterans just pulled off one of the biggest fintech deals in history. On Monday, Visa announced that it bought Plaid, a fintech startup that seamlessly connects your bank account to hot payment apps like Venmo and Square’s Cash App, for $4.9 billion in cash and $400 million in stock. The deal is a coup for a quartet of Under 30 alums—Plaid’s cofounders Zach Perret and William Hockey and the two Goldman Sachs bankers who led the transaction, Brandon Watkins and Troy Wickett.
Zach Perret, 32, and William Hockey, 30, first met as consultants at Bain before founding Plaid in New York in 2012. Their idea was to make it easier and faster for fintech apps to connect to users’ bank accounts. Before Plaid, companies would often have to make tiny deposits—say, of $.02—into a consumer’s bank account and then require the user to log in days later to verify transactions before using the product. That friction caused a large percentage of potential customers to abandon a new app in the middle of the onboarding process.
Plaid’s software avoids the hassle, letting people get verified in seconds, not days. When a user logs in to a fintech app, she enters her bank’s username and password. Plaid’s software extracts her bank account information and packages it securely so it can be sent to and used by the app. Companies pay Plaid to make their sign-up experience faster and friendlier. Cofounder and former CTO Hockey has said the pair’s clever solution got rejected “50 times” before landing $3 million in seed funding from Spark Capital in 2013.
In 2015, Perret and Hockey made Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list and went on to raise a total of $310 million from investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins and Goldman Sachs. Since then, the founders have partnered with most of America’s biggest fintech apps, including Robinhood, Coinbase, Betterment and Acorns. Plaid was valued at $2.65 billion just a year before this week’s Visa deal.
Goldman Sachs managing director Brandon Watkins (left) and vice president Troy Wickett worked on the … [+]
Photo credit: Brandon Watkins and Troy Wickett
Running the Visa acquisition were two Under 30 bankers who, despite their young ages, have helped fuel big deals and IPOs in the tech and payment spaces. Brandon Watkins, 31, leads Goldman’s “Internet finance” coverage and has helped build the bank’s relationships with a growing number of digital bank and finance companies. He previously worked on Square’s 2015 IPO and eBay’s $47 billion spinoff of PayPal, and he arranged private investments in unicorns like Credit Karma. He made the Forbes Under 30 list in 2017.
Troy Wickett, a 2020 Forbes Under 30 lister, specializes in software and technology, covering both industry giants like Google and Amazon and a newer crop of unicorns and private-equity-backed companies. He advised Dropbox, Okta and fintech companies Greensky and Bill.com on their initial public offerings, and he helped Amazon with its $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods. His mother Magdalena Yesil emigrated to the United States from Turkey in 1976 and became a venture capitalist, backing software giant Salesforce.com and becoming a founding board member at the company.
Though Plaid’s $5.3 billion price tag makes it the most sizable Under 30 acquisition to date, there’s no shortage of Under 30-founded companies with billion-dollar-plus exits.
Here are five Under 30 unicorn exits of note:
- Instagram acquired by Facebook in 2012 for $1 billion
- Tumblr acquired by WordPress in 2013 for $1.1 billion
- Oculus acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $2 billion
- Flatiron Health acquired by Roche in 2018 for $1.9 billion
- Ring acquired by Amazon in 2018 for $1 billion
With additional reporting by Antoine Gara and Alex Konrad.


text:
The Holden Sandman sits as a cult-classic for Holden enthusiasts. Originally based on the Holden Kingswood panel van, the Sandman became a massive success at the time, with heavy ties to Aussie surf culture.
Opel showed off the Vivaro Surf Edition during the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, a curious place to reveal such a visualization. Germany doesn’t exactly come to mind when thinking, “surf’s up!”
The Vivaro Surf Edition graced Frankfurt with a custom-swirled paint job, built in roof racks to hold surfboards and waterproof floorboards for beach gear.
A new commercial van is certainly in the plans for Holden, and sourcing it from Opel seems like more of a certainty than ever, considering one-third of the brand’s lineup will come from the brand.
Holden dug into its storied past to revive the Sandman name earlier this year with the VF Holden Commodore Sandman edition. The Commodore Sandman features throwback exterior graphics and optional shag floormats and seat inserts. Though, fans say it isn’t a true representation to apply the name to a Commodore Ute or Sportwagon, as the original was a panel van.
But, have no fear, a true successor seems imminent. It just may be a bit boxier than locals remember.


text:
Media Buying Briefing: How a medical insights company is shaping media planning and buying with its data
This Media Buying Briefing covers the latest in agency news and media buying for Digiday+ members and is distributed over email every Monday at 10 a.m. ET. More from the series →
In the age of COVID, the more health-related information a marketer has access to, the better.
Kinsa, a health tech company that’s created a connected thermometer, is using data feedback to inform media plans from health marketers and their agencies to ramp up its enterprise side of the business. The company has helped multiple health-related brands, from cold and flu medications to tissue makers, optimize their media spend, working directly with the brands as well as their media agencies. Kinsa is also selling its insights to retailers getting into the media sales business — and which one isn’t these days?
I spoke with Kinsa’s cmo Andy Yost as well as vp of data science John Zicker about their work with brands, agencies and retailers.
The following has been edited for clarity and condensed for space.
What makes Kinsa’s data different?
Andy Yost: What’s unique about us is our predictive real-time illness insights allow us to work with consumer packaged goods brands to fuel smarter business decisions around media planning, but also around supply-chain management decisions. It allows them to get ahead of where illness is striking and take action quickly. An early strategic advantage for us over others is our ability to collect three key data sets: where illness starts — people who are using our product before going to the doctor; how fast illness is spreading; and understanding illness severity. Those three unique inputs have really helped us create a very interesting and compelling offering for enterprises, like the packaged goods industry.
With whom do you share that data, and what’s the process for sharing it?
Yost: There’s a range of ways that we’re working with consumer packaged goods companies. We identify the brands that this is most relevant to cold and flu [remedy] manufacturers, talking to CMOS and brand managers of those companies. We also work with their agencies, particularly around media spend and media optimization. And we’re having conversations with retailers, which are working with these brands to make sure that products are on the shelves where illness is spiking. It’s also led us to interesting partnerships with players like The Trade Desk, where we’re able to help our brands and our agency partners make more effective decisions around their media spend.
How do you gather the data and make it ready for prime time for brands and agencies?
John Zicker: We’re collecting information in the household at the time of need, which all marketers really care about. Somebody feels feverish, they grab the thermometer, and then it opens up a conversation where we collect other symptoms — cough, headaches, chills, body aches, those types of things. Using that, we then can combine it and match that up with whatever [brand or marketer] we’re working with. The other thing is, unlike publicly available data about illness, we aggregate that into DMAs, which [is] how marketers think — as opposed to the whole state or the whole nation. So it’s better targeting.
What brands have you specifically helped? And how did your data impact their media?
Yost: [Reckitt Benckiser’s ]Mucinex is a good example in terms of our ability to partner with a brand and subsequently their media planning aspects of what they were doing for the business. It played out in a couple of different ways. One, there was incremental sales lift [81 percent, according to a Kinsa case study] that we saw for people who are new to the brand after running digital ads in the areas that we were seeing illness rise. There was also incremental sales lift that we were seeing in test-and-control groups with our audience versus audiences in general. So overall, we were able to prove the effectiveness of the hyperlocal aspect of this. We are able to help brands make decisions faster about the investments they need to make, which ultimately leads to either improved sales performance and/or savings in terms of their investment in media.
What is the revenue play here?
Yost: Our overall mission is around helping curb the spread of infectious illness through early detection and early response. We’ve built this system within the past 10 years that does have the thermometer aspect to it, but it also has this important insights business. There are monetization opportunities, both on the consumer and the enterprise side related to that.
Color by numbers
A study of 3,021 women commissioned by Omnicom Media Group and Dotdash Meredith and conducted by The Harris Poll identified what it dubs “The Future Majority” — a cohort composed primarily of Black, Latina, Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) and LGBTQIA women under 40. This growing group has strong opinions brands and agencies might want to pay attention to, including:
- 75% of survey respondents agreed with the statement: “I can’t name more than 5 brands that I have a deep or intimate relationship with (i.e., a brand that ‘gets me’)”;
- Another 34% of respondents have already walked away from brands that do not align with their values;
- Some 64% say, “I’d rather pay a little more to buy from a company that aligns with my values, than pay less to buy from a company that doesn’t”;
- Even scarier, 81% report experiencing direct or indirect discrimination in the last 18 months.
Takeoff & landing
- Omnicom, Comscore, VideoAmp and Discovery Networks are banding together to create new currencies for TV measurement in advance of this year’s upfront marketplace. Separately, VideoAmp said it will use viewership data from Comcast’s cable footprint (at last count some 18.5 million) to its cross-platform measurement service.
- Stagwell had a busy week: Not only did the holding company enter into affiliate partnerships with three African agencies (digital shop Incubeta, media shop SBI Media, and PR firm Orient Planet Group), it officially rebranded the merged Assembly/PMX Forward media unit under the Assembly name and rolled out a new logo.
- Personnel moves: Erica Hoholick was promoted from president/COO to CEO of independent agency 22Squared.
“If you look at all of linear TV, that’s now moving across to streaming apps and platforms, but currently, there’s only limited amounts of that that you can buy programmatically. There’s a few reasons for that, as a lot of publishers are worried about their [advertising] yield, they’ve held back their best inventory [from programmatic trading] because they’ve been concerned around being paid fairly for that … They’re concerned their inventory will fall to the bottom of an auction, and they won’t get paid well by the inventory landing on an auction that’s outside of their control. At the same time, you also have clients that don’t spend as much as they should programmatically, as they’re concerned about what they pay and where their money lands.”— GroupM’s global head of investment, Andrew Meaden, explaining the rationale for creating a new programmatic marketplace, which the media network announced last week.
- I broke a little news about Omnicom’s Annalect platform partnering with Affinity Solutions to get exclusive access to a trove of credit- and debit-card data solutions to feed into its Omni operating system.
- Digiday’s senior marketing reporter Kimeko McCoy looks at how one DTC advertiser is broadening its media mix in the face of rising CPMs and weakened targeting.
- Digiday marketing editor Kristina Monllos digs into how yet another marketer, Abercrombie & Fitch, used Tik Tok in an innovative way to refresh its brand.
More in Media
New tools let people make images in seconds, create image backgrounds, replacing parts of an image and use reference images to create with AI.
Publishers revamp their newsletter offerings to engage audiences amid threat of AI and declining referral traffic
Publishers like Axios, Eater, the Guardian, theSkimm and Snopes are either growing or revamping their newsletter offerings to engage audiences as a wave of generative AI advancements increases the need for original content and referral traffic declines push publishers to find alternative ways to reach readers.
The Guardian US is entering the race for political ad dollars.


text:
Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa goes wild with X-rated response to toddler
A little boy got a lot more than he bargained for when testing out Amazon’s virtual assistant.
A YouTube video captures the moment a tech-savvy family tests their brand new Amazon Dot, which allows voice-activated assistant Alexa to answer requests to play music, control smart home devices, search the internet, set alarms and read the news.
However, when a little boy asked Alexa to “play Digger Digger”, the assistant comes back with possibly the worst possible reply.
The device responds with a string of explicit pornographic terms.
To horrified screams from the rest of the family, Alexa responds: “You want to hear a station for: Porn detected porno ringtone hot chick amateur girl calling sexy f**k c**t sh*t sex c*ck p**sy anal dildo ringtones for Android?”
The dad can be heard screaming: “Alexa, STOP!” as the little boy is swiftly removed from earshot.
While some rushed to blame the glitch on Alexa reading dad’s search history, the mix-up actually appears to have occurred because the device somehow misheard the boy’s request – and matched “Digger Digger” with a track on Spotify with the title “Porn Detected! (Porno Ringtone Hot Chick Amateur Girl Calling Sexy F**k C**t Sh*t Sex C*ck P***y Anal Dildo Ringtones for Android)”
The inventively-titled track is actually part of a prank ringtone set.


text:
Moore's Law has helped computers double in power every two years for decades. AMD says those days are coming to an end.
A company called Nuance Mobile is adding a whole new dimension to the mobile advertising market. Its new “Nuance Voice” service allows users to converse with the advertisements on their mobile devices.
Not fazed by a takeover battle looming on the sidelines, members of Dell's research division are putting together the pieces for prototype ARM supercomputers that could be deployed in the future.
Process Hacker provides information on running processes, system resource use, and so on, with many options for customization... and it's free.
Nvidia wants to bump up graphics and application performance on tablets and smartphones with two new Tegra mobile processors it announced Tuesday.
Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have taken the next step in the evolution of the computer chip, developing self-healing integrated chips.
AMD today announced the availability of its AMD Elite A-Series Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), codenamed “Richland.”
Qualcomm has a big, well-funded research and development operation, but its program for commercializing new innovations is still a learning experience for the wireless chip maker.
Forget tablets and economic woes. "Good enough" computer performance might be the real reason for lackluster PC sales. And it might also be the catalyst for an ambitious new era of computing.
Hewlett-Packard's effort to build ARM servers will get a boost from Texas Instruments, which will provide chips based on the latest ARM processor design.


text:
City analysts have suggested that "it's only a matter of time" until High Street stores such as Tesco sell foreign government debt next to cheap baked beans. With the price of Greek 10 year bonds steadily declining, and currently at a level where they are effectively buy-one-get-one-half-price, it won't be long before BOGOF pricing can be factored into the sales model.
An un-named analyst at a City investment bank said "if we can get the term BOGOF involved we'll be able to dump all our Greek shit onto Tesco customers, and they're already on benefits so no one loses except them. We'll be looking at getting rid of the rest of the PIGS as their pricing deteriotes. The ultimate sales channel would be Bid-TV because we'll be able to cream an extra £10.50 per sale for P&P".


text:
Mandy Fry Exits Amuse Society
Mandy Fry, the co-founder and creative visionary behind Amuse Society, is leaving the four-year-old company, SES has learned.
Mandy, considered by many to be one of the most talented design leaders in the industry, told her staff at Amuse Friday afternoon.
We reached out to both Mandy and to Paul Naude, the head of Stokehouse Unlimited, which operates the Amuse, Vissla and D’Blanc brands.
Mandy, who has two young children, sent us the following statement:
“I am so grateful to everyone who supported Amuse and myself over the years,” she said. “It has been an incredible journey building Amuse and I am proud of what we have accomplished together.
“I have learned so much and met many amazing people along the way,” Mandy continued. “The decision to leave did not come easily but I am ready for the next chapter in my life. I am looking forward to taking some personal time to refresh, realign my goals, and spend time with my family.
“I am confident I am leaving the team in a positive position and I wish everyone at Amuse only the best.”
Paul Naude provided a statement to SES as well.
“Co-founder of Amuse Society, Mandy Fry, has decided to leave the company to take time off and pursue personal projects,” Paul said. “We thank Mandy for her contribution toward the success of the Amuse brand and wish her the best in her future endeavors.
“We have a strong, talented team in place and we’re excited about the future of Amuse,” he continued. “We look forward to continuing the strong brand momentum we have and taking it to the next level in 2018 and beyond.”
I asked both Mandy and Paul if Mandy will remain an owner of the brand. They declined to comment beyond their statements.
Mandy led design at Billabong for many years and was instrumental in building the brand into a leader in the industry.
After a short stop at Volcom, Mandy founded Amuse along with Summer Rapp and Paul. Summer exited day-to-day operations at Amuse in 2015 to focus on her swim design business.
In four years, Amuse has built a loyal brand following with its fresh take on contemporary beach fashion that works in both the surf and boutique markets.


text:
£7m Fuller has eyes on Whitbread
London Pride brewer Fuller Smith & Turner wants to team up with a venture capitalist to bid for a chunk of Whitbread's managed pubs.
Although Fuller's shares have been trading below asset value, chairman Anthony Fuller pronounced the company financially and operationally strong and said the opportunities for acquisitions were unique.
'Our gearing is only 5%. We could go to 50% and we have £15m cash in the bank,' he said, adding the company could easily spend £50 to £70m.
Although Fuller has not registered for his own copy of the sales memorandum sent out by Whitbread yesterday for its 3000-strong pub estate, he said he had already contacted pretty well all the venture capitalists who had.
Poor summer weather saw like-for-like sales at the managed pub and bar division fall by 1% in the 26 weeks ended 23 September but pre-tax profits, swollen by £3.2m in exceptional gains, were up 5% to £7.2m on turnover of £63m, up 10%.
Most watched Money videos
- Check your bank balance using a Google smart speaker
- The Great British Porridge Co. work with Tej Lalvani for 22% share
- The UK is cheap and could bounce back: Tips on picking funds
- Bugatti Chiron hypercar breaks new record at 304.77mph in Top Gear
- Six bed mansion for sale on prestigious Wentworth Estate in Surrey
- Porsche unveils its first all-electric sports car
- $70 million to $17 million: Auction of Porsche Type 64 goes wrong
- Henderson Far East Income:Tapping Asia for dividends
- Lego and Land Rover teamed up for new Defender made of 2,573 bricks
- Introducing the new 'unstoppable' £40,000 Land Rover Defender
- What will Prime Minister Boris Johnson mean for investors?
- Audi releases a trailer showing off the brand new A4


text:
We regret to announce that zConnection is
. You can continue to find quality culture, lifestyle, and current affairs coverage on our affiliated website,
Shattered Horizon Weapons Pack Released, Price Slashed
Futuremark Games have released the highly anticipated Firepower Weapons Pack DLC for their gravity-bending space-set online shoote ...
Shattered Horizon 126.96.36.199 Patch Released
Futuremark Game Studios have rolled out the latest patch for the zero-gravity shooter Shattered Horizon. This isn’t the prom ...
First Piece of Shattered Horizon DLC Announced
Futuremark Game Studios have announced that the first content pack for Shattered Horizon, entitled “Moonrise”, will be ...
Shattered Horizon Competition Winners Announced
All right, so remember that Shattered Horizon contest we ran? The entries have been submitted, the judges have judged them, and we ...
Shattered Horizon Review
Shattered Horizon is the first release from benchmark developer Futuremark’s new game development department, Futuremark Gam ...
Win A Copy of Shattered Horizon!
Shattered Horizon is one of the most impressive-looking online shooters in recent years, putting players in a zero-gravity spa ...
is funded largely through donations. If you enjoy our content, please consider contributing.
All content © zConnection 2007 — 2019


text:
Feedback taken to heart is good feedback indeed.
The Halo 5 Guardians Beta was there to act as a means of testing the games new modes and more importantly, its fundamental game changing new mechanics, which still remain divisive. Speaking out by way of a blog post, it’s been revealed that the games executive producer Josh Holmes, is working on his own blog post that will have a “healthy list of learnings and changes from the beta”, and that “it’s gonna be a good one”.
We previously reported to you about the amount of feedback that 343 Industries have received from players that took part in the extremely popular Halo 5 Beta and it’s truly gratifying to know that the feedback has been taken to heart and it’s being actively used to influence some much needed tweaks.
In this blog post, “B IS FOR BRAVO” also mentions that “Continued improvement to the MCC experience remains our top priority as a studio” which is also very good to hear for those of you that are still dedicated to the core Halo experience.


text:
It has been no secret that Ford is planning to bring back the Ranger and Bronco - thank you UAW. But Ford has been mum on it, saying no comment and the like when asked about it. But they have finally come clean today. During their press conference this morning at the Detroit Auto Show, Ford announced that the Ranger and Bronco will be coming.
“We’ve heard our customers loud and clear. They want a new generation of vehicles that are incredibly capable yet fun to drive. Ranger is for truck buyers who want an affordable, functional, rugged and maneuverable pickup that’s Built Ford Tough. Bronco will be a no-compromise midsize 4x4 utility for thrill seekers who want to venture way beyond the city,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of The Americas.
The Ranger will debut in 2019, while the Bronco will follow a year later. Both models will be built at Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, MI. They'll take the place of the Focus and C-Max which will move to Mexico.
Details are slim for both models, but Ford's Executive Chairman Bill Ford noted that the Bronco will use the T-6 midsize truck platform (what underpins the Ranger).
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)


text:
Supplement usage stayed strong in 2015—a reported 68 percent of U.S. adults take dietary supplements. That’s according to results from the 2015 Council for Responsible Nutrition’s (CRN) Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements, conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. Harvey Kamil, chairman of CRN and vice chairman of NBTY, spoke to INSIDER on the state of the supplement industry at CRN’s 2015 Symposium for the Dietary Supplement Industry in Palm Springs, California.
Natural Products Insider is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC
This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.


text:
Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa has introduced a space-oriented program to its roster of wedding packages.
The Maui'd Under the Stars package takes couples up 10 stories to the resort rooftop for a ceremony under the star-speckled night sky. The couple and up to four guests are then invited to a private showing of Tour of the Stars, the resort's stargazing experience with telescopes guided by the resort director of astronomy Eddie Mahoney.
"We have seen many proposals during Tour of the Stars over the years," Frances Goss, director of events at Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, said in a statement. "We were inspired by these romantic gestures to create an opportunity for couples to have an exceptional celebration of their commitment to each other."
The package includes rehearsal and ceremony coordinated by a Hyatt wedding specialist, arrangement of marriage license appointment, a nondenominational officiant, two traditional Hawaiian leis, a dedicated banquet attendant, a keepsake calligraphy wedding certificate, one bottle of sparkling wine and fruit-infused water.
The Maui'd Under the Stars wedding package starts at $5,000.


text:
Prime suspect named in Las Vegas shooting, crash
Kenny Clutch's YouTube music video, "Stay Schemin," shows scenes of Las Vegas Strip hotels as he sings about paying $120,000 for his Maserati.
"One mistake change lives all in one night," he raps in one verse.
Kenneth Cherry Sr., who said he runs a cellphone business, said he helped his son make payments on the Maserati. He said he last spoke with his son on Wednesday, when they talked about the high cost of the son's cellphone use.
Cherry Sr. described his son as an entrepreneur but didn't say how he made money or if he had jobs other than his music production.
Boldon's family in Las Vegas was struggling to cope with his death, said Tehran Boldon, the taxi driver's younger brother.
Boldon's sister, Carolyn Jean Trimble, said Boldon was a father, a grandfather and a car race enthusiast who drove a Mercedes when he wasn't in a cab. He owned a clothing store in Detroit and worked at a car dealership, his sister said, and drove taxis after moving to Las Vegas about 1½ years ago.
The irony that a man with a taste for beautiful cars was killed by a sports car wasn't lost on Trimble.
"He would be tickled to death: 'Damn, of all things, a Maserati hit me, took me out like that,'" she said. "I'm happy he didn't suffer."
In Washington, Sutton-Wasmund co-owned a dress shop, said Debbie Tvedt, the office manager for a Maple Valley plumbing company that Sutton-Wasmund started with her husband, James Wasmund. Sutton-Wasmund was in Las Vegas attending a trade show with her business partner.
"It's a big loss," Tvedt said in a telephone interview with AP.


text:
Quality Assurance Workers at Microsoft’s ZeniMax Studios establish the company’s first union with CWA and become the largest certified video game studio in the US
A supermajority of quality assurance workers at Microsoft’s ZeniMax Studios have indicated that they wish to join ZeniMax Workers United/CWA either by signing a union authorization card or voting via an online portal. In accordance with its stated labor principles, Microsoft has recognized the union.
ZeniMax is a video game production company with studios in Maryland and Texas known for its popular games such as Elder Scrolls, DOOM, Quake Champions, and Fallout. ZeniMax Workers United/CWA is the first studio at Microsoft to secure union representation, and the largest group of union-represented Quality Assurance testers at any US game studio.
“We’re thrilled to kick off 2023 in a workplace that’s stronger and more equitable than it was last year,” said Skylar Hinnant, Senior QA Tester II in Rockville, MD. This is an empowering victory that allows us to protect ourselves and each other in a way we never could without a union. Our hope and belief is that this is the year in which game workers across the country exercise their power and reshape the industry as a whole.”
Quality assurance workers across ZeniMax have been organizing for months to positively transform ZeniMax for the benefit of workers, the company, and the players who enjoy the studios’ games. Workers began signing union authorization cards in November 2022, and started the official voting process through a confidential online portal. The unit includes all QA employees in the U.S. across ZeniMax's various studios.
“Before us is an opportunity to make big changes and bring equity to the video game industry. We want to put an end to sudden periods of crunch, unfair pay, and lack of growth opportunities within the company, said Victoria Banos, Senior QA Audio Tester, Hunt Valley, MD. “Our union will push for truly competitive pay, better communication between management and workers, a clear path for those that want to progress their career, and more.”
Unlike other video game and tech corporations, Microsoft made a public commitment around its labor principles which included respecting its employees’ right to form a union. When ZeniMax employees announced that they were organizing a union in December, Microsoft agreed to remain neutral and allow workers to make their own decision about whether or not to join the union. The company swiftly recognized ZeniMax Workers United/CWA after a neutral third party confirmed that a majority of workers favored joining the union.
“Microsoft has lived up to its commitment to its workers and let them decide for themselves whether they want a union,” said Communications Workers of America President Chris Shelton. “Other video game and tech giants have made a conscious choice to attack, undermine, and demoralize their own employees when they join together to form a union. Microsoft is charting a different course which will strengthen its corporate culture and ability to serve its customers and should serve as a model for the industry and as a blueprint for regulators.”
Zenimax Workers United/CWA joins the wave of game and tech workers at Activision, Alphabet, Apple, and dozens of other companies who have organized with CODE-CWA to build a better workplace.
CWA urges the FTC and the DOJ to take into account in merger review guidelines the role of collective bargaining in counterbalancing employer market power


text:
How to get a Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2022 live stream from anywhere in the world...
In the latest of a long line of legal proceedings, Google has filed two lawsuits against Sonos, accusing the multi-room speaker manufacturer of patent infringement.
Expected in 2023, Apple's VR headset could feature radical new OLEDoS displays from both LG Display and Sony.
With a 60-hour battery life and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth support, the new Sennheiser noise-cancelling headphones seem extremely plausible on paper.
Samsung's new AirPods rivals are tipped to boast advanced ANC tech, Bluetooth 5.3 and 360 Audio. Here's what else to expect...
HomePod 2 rumours have been circulating for a long time, but is a new, updated HomePod finally on the way next year?
LG has unveiled its latest Tone Free wireless noise cancelling earbuds, including models for sport and support for Dolby Atmos and Dolby head-tracking for immersive spatial audio.
Netflix and Prime Video take a hit due to the UK's economic woes – but it's good news for Disney Plus.
While the standard iPhone 14 could cost the same as the equivalent iPhone 13, the lack of a Mini variant will push up the entry price.
Project's T1 has been given a makeover for this special edition model marking HMV's 100 years on the high street.
Apple's iPad 10 could finally ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack, if these leaked renders are to be believed.
LG and Google Stadia have joined forces to offer LG TV customers three months of free gaming on certain models.
You can enjoy three months of Tidal's high-quality music streams for just $3 thanks to this brilliant deal.
This year will be the 40th incarnation of the What Hi-Fi? Awards, with more than 100 winners expected to be announced.
The best of the back-to-school sales sees discounts of up to 60% on wireless headphones, 4K TVs, Bluetooth speakers and more...


text:
NEW YORK, United States — Each season, shortly after the four main fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris, marketers in our industry begin planning their print campaigns for the following season. It often takes us weeks, if not months, to assemble our creative teams and produce immaculately crafted shoots, followed by still more months to buy media placements in magazines and on outdoor billboards.
Meanwhile, for digital campaigns, it’s quite another story. Most brands piggyback their digital content creation on print shoots — when the photographer allows it — only to capture scrappy video clips, often nothing more than “behind-the-scenes” footage. Sometimes they use leftover dollars from budgets to quickly pull together a short film and launch it on their own website or Facebook page — often, all within the span of about a month. Indeed, there are so many missed opportunities in the way fashion, as an industry, is currently approaching video content, from planning to production to distribution. Is it really a surprise that the results are often less than spectacular?
As digital consumers watch video content at higher and higher rates, a study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) in the US found that 69 percent of marketers and 55 percent of agencies plan to increase their use of digital video advertising. And indeed, leaders in other industries have leveraged digital video campaigns to terrific effect, notably Procter & Gamble, Absolut and BMW.
Of course, fashion has produced a few winners as well: Steven Meisel’s Fall-Winter 2011 video for Lanvin (featured above) launched a cultural meme, while Inez and Vinoodh’s latest film for Dior earned over 4 million views in just two days. But for the most part, our industry has yet to take advantage of the full power of video. Budgets are misallocated. Content is poor. And distribution strategy is neglected. As a result, most fashion films fall flat. Just take a look at the YouTube channels of most top fashion brands. Most films do not even earn 10,000 views, let alone 100,000. The good news, however, is that the barriers to success are largely self-imposed and surmountable.
Lack of Distribution Strategy
A “build it and they will come” approach simply does not work. Online, people are busy socialising, being entertained, pinning or catching up on celebrity gossip and current events. They don’t stop to wonder what your brand is up to. To capture our audience, we have to go to them. But, for fashion companies, the standard approach to distribution tends to be: host the content on a brand website, post it to Facebook and tweet about it. Unless the brand in question has 12 million Facebook fans and 1 million Twitter followers, like Burberry, for example, this “distribution” only reaches a very small audience. (The average Facebook post is only seen by about 26 percent of the total fan base).
Brands should place their video content as carefully as they place their print campaigns. We need to distribute strategically, where our audience lives, works and plays online. Additionally, we need to publish video content to the right platforms. Posting a recipe on Tumblr, or a self-portrait on Pinterest, would be a faux pas that’s out of tune with the culture of those sites. Similarly, posting the same video across every social media platform is a mistake. Ideally, a brand should launch a fashion video with earned media to give the content credibility and later support the video with paid media to achieve maximum reach.
Possibly the single most important point to consider when creating online film is: Why would anyone want to watch this? Before creating any piece of content, brands should understand their audience, psychographically rather than demographically, and why, where and how they are behaving online. Successful content will fit into these patterns.
It seems painfully obvious that content also needs to be good, but what constitutes good content can be highly subjective. To be sure, making good content is more art than science, but the most popular online videos do have some similarities, in that they often triggers core human emotions like humor, awe, sorrow or disgust. Remember, viewing online video is a voluntary experience and most videos are abandoned within the first 15 seconds. As an industry, we put aesthetics before storytelling. And while many of the fashion films being produced look good visually, the storytelling is often banal and dull.
Power Structures, Budgets and Politics
In fashion, the budgets allocated to print campaigns are sizable and the most sought-after still photographers (and their agents) wield quite a bit of power. Though they are not necessarily filmmakers and often don’t know how to tell a story through film, some photographers ban other imagemakers from their sets, claiming that the lighting, styling and other components of the shoot are part of the photographer’s “copyright” and cannot be replicated by others without consent. All too often they insist on shooting the video themselves, holding the camera, rather than working with seasoned directors of photography and technical camera operators.
Sometimes they simply assign this task to their assistants. On a recent video shoot, a renowned photographer, struggling to complete an eight shot count, turned over the responsibility of shooting moving image to his trusted first assistant. Armed with only a handheld Canon 5D, the assistant tried his best to capture footage over the shoulder of the photographer. But unfortunately, even with the best of intentions, the footage was shaky and the subject never made eye contact with the camera. Predictably, the resulting video was distant, unfocused and rambling.
What’s more, considerably higher day-rates for stills photographers provide little incentive for aspiring imagemakers to focus on digital video, where budgets are often only a fraction of their print equivalents. Indeed, until brands start incentivising partners to create digital content by paying them properly, it’s in everyone’s interest to simply continue with the status quo.
Paralyzed by ROI
Whereas print has vague accountability, many fashion brands hold digital marketing spend to a much higher standard and often obsess about tracking return on investment, though traditional online metrics like impressions and click-through rates are not necessarily the best way to measure the success of online video. As an industry, we need to better track engagement metrics — likes, comments, plays, shares — which can help brands to more accurately gauge the value of a piece of video content. But many brands also fall into the trap of allowing themselves to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of data that digital measurement allows, rendering them confused and, ultimately, unable to act in the face of a growing opportunity.
The big picture is clear. In numbers recently released by comScore, internet users watched nearly 37 billion online videos in the month of April, in the US alone. What’s more, in the same time period, US internet users watched 9.5 billion video ads, a record-breaking statistic.
It’s high time for fashion brands to overcome the hurdles that have kept them back and seize the digital video opportunity with both hands.
Quynh Mai is the founder of Moving Image & Content, a digital marketing agency focused on fashion and beauty brands.


text:
Send this profile to a friend
Cost Plus World Market Inc
News from The Business Journals
Nov 22, 2013, 10:43 am EST
When Jon Sebastiani is in the mood for a snack to pair with a glass of Sonoma pinot noir, he opts for sweet chipotle beef jerky. To him, the jerky’s…
Aug 2, 2013, 6:00 am EDT
Fourteen months after winning a fierce bidding contest for a prime city-owned development parcel, Hunter/Storm and Kilroy Realty’s Redwood City office…
Jul 24, 2013, 9:49 am EDT
Hunter/Storm and Kilroy Realty's Redwood City office project is good to go. Fourteen months after winning a fierce bidding contest for a prime city-owned…
Jun 6, 2013, 3:53 pm EDT
Discount retailer Marshalls plans to leave Southdale Center, relocating to a new space nearby.
Marshalls is under construction on a 26,000-square-foot…
Jun 3, 2013, 4:52 pm EDT
As we told you on Friday, Bed Bath & Beyond opened last week in part of the former Expo Design Center across from the Roseville mall.
The home goods and…
May 31, 2013, 6:15 am EDT
Bed Bath & Beyond has relocated to new digs in Roseville.
The home goods and furnishings retail chain opened Thursday in about 49,000 square feet in part…
May 3, 2013, 6:00 am EDT
When San Mateo’s Hillsdale Shopping Center opened in the mid-1950s, the food court was a farmer’s market in the purest sense of the term.
Apr 23, 2013, 11:17 am EDT
Cost Plus World Market will open a location May 2 in the Belgate Shopping Center on Ikea Boulevard.
Cost Plus, which sells gourmet food and beverages…
Apr 19, 2013, 6:00 am EDT
Tucson-based Tres Amigos World Imports Inc. has opened a furniture store in Peoria, drawn back to the Phoenix area by the recovering housing market.
Jan 11, 2013, 6:00 am EST
The vacant storefronts so prevalent during the height of the recession are slowing filling again, although progress remains unsteady.
Fresh Market, for…
Dec 28, 2012, 6:00 am EST
If it feels like you’re hearing more than ever about national retail chains trading up to better spaces — you’re right.
Relocations do happen in…
Nov 23, 2012, 6:00 am EST
As retailers enter the heart of their most crucial season, the industry’s gradual recovery is beginning to show in the real estate market, researchers…
Nov 21, 2012, 1:37 pm EST
Planet Fitness has begun construction on a new location in Roseville, where it will fill one of the city's last significant retail vacancies.
Nov 12, 2012, 10:47 am EST
The huge space across from the Roseville mall that has been vacant since Home Depot's Expo Design Center closed in 2009 is finally going to be filled,…
Nov 12, 2012, 9:27 am EST
The huge space across from the Roseville mall that has been vacant since Home Depot's Expo Design Center closed in 2009 is finally going to be filled.


text:
According to The Audit Bureau of Circulations, U.S. newsstand magazine sales fell nearly 10% in the first half of 2012, a sign for publishers that suggests Americans are still being careful about discretionary spending. Overall circulation, including subscriptions, was just about flat from a year earlier. But single-copy sales, which are more closely watched, continued to fall.
The report says that single-copy sales at newsstands and other retailers totaled 26.4 million in the first six months of 2012, down from 29.1 million in the same period last year.
Cosmopolitan was still the top-selling magazine at newsstands, even though its sales fell nearly 16% to 1.4 million. Most of the top 25 best-selling magazines saw their sales decline. Family Circle and Woman’s Day were among the exceptions. Weight Watchers magazine saw the biggest sales decline, nearly 28%, to 325,950 copies in the first six months of the year.
Total circulation, which includes digital sales such as issues sold on the iPad, was just about flat at 297.1 million. Paid subscriptions grew 1% to 260 million from 257.2 million
People are more careful about spending magazine money in the uncertain economy and because of the proliferation of free content on the Web, sometimes from the magazines themselves. The Audit Bureau also released, for the first time, the top 25 best-selling digital replica magazines (digital versions of print magazines that contain the same content and advertising as their paper counterparts). Game Informer Magazine was by far the No. 1 highest-circulation digital replica magazine, with 1.2 million copies. Maxim was No. 2 with 284,824.
For more news from the ABC, please visit here.


text:
Coca-Cola is starting to use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to experiment with creating futuristic coke flavors with artificial sweeteners. Photo/Coca-Cola/PCMag
WASHINGTON – Coca-Cola is starting to use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to experiment with creating futuristic coke flavors with artificial sweeteners. The new flavor is called Coca-Cola Y3000 Zero Sugar, meant to represent what Coke would taste like if we jumped to the year 3000.
To that end, Coca-Cola released a limited edition Coke flavor this week that was co-created with AI. This experiment is to guess the taste of soft drinks 977 years into the future, by gathering insights and understanding how fans imagine the future through emotions, aspirations, colors, flavors and more.
“We hope Coca-Cola will remain as relevant and refreshing in the year 3000 as it is today. “So we challenged ourselves to explore the concept of what Coca-Cola tastes like from the future,” said Oana Vlad, Senior Director, Global Strategy at The Coca-Cola Company, quoted by SINDOnews from the pcmag page, Thursday (14/9/2023) .
It is known that Y3000 is a limited edition flavor that Coca-Cola provides in the United States, Canada, China, Europe and Africa. An original flavored version is also available in the US, which is based on the 1886 version of Coke.
If you happen to pick up a bottle, there’s a QR code to scan that allows access to the Coca-Cola Creations Hub and your photos can be filtered through the Y3000 AI Cam. Coca-Cola is also creating a limited edition clothing and accessories line with Ambush that is “inspired by the future.”
In June, Coca-Cola teamed up with Riot Games for the League of Legends-inspired Coke Zero, and Realme launched the Coca-Cola smartphone in January. However, one of the most positively futuristic things Coca-Cola did was attempt to perfect paper bottles for its soft drinks.
AI was also used to create the drink’s visual identity, which ultimately became a design that showcases the liquid in a state of change and evolution. “Everything is communicated through changes in shape and color that emphasize a positive future,” said Vlad.


text:
Aman Holding announces the harvest of the fiscal year 2022 and its future plans for the current year 2023
Aman announced The Holding Company, the most integrated financial technology company, announced its business results and achievements during the fiscal year 600. The company also announced its future plans in the financial technology and finance sector. Which includes enhancing its contribution to empowering different categories of customers and providing more comprehensive financial products, to support the values of financial inclusion and the non-monetary economy in line with Egypt’s vision 2030.
The company’s statements came during a press conference held on Sunday corresponding to 26 February 23, In the presence of CEOs and a group of senior officials of the company.
Hazem Maghazi, CEO of Business and Commercial Affairs at Aman Holding, stated that the year 600 was full of promising achievements, starting with the company’s increase in its capital paid up And pumped large investments throughout the year, the last of which was 90 million pounds, which greatly contributed to the expansion of the company geographically and in many financial and technological fields such as Savings, through the Aman Investment Fund “Day by Day” with a portfolio amounting to 6 million pounds, and the establishment of Aman Securitization Company and the securitization of 90 one million pounds through it, In addition to launching micro finance (nano) and Islamic finance.
AMAN is considered one of the first companies to provide integrated Islamic finance services in the non-banking sector in Egypt, as the company opened the first specialized branch for Islamic finance in Egypt, and what it contains of specialized products that are compatible with the provisions of Islamic law for medium, small and micro enterprises. small, with an investment size of 45 million pounds, and the company intends to reach the portfolio in the first year to 45 one million pound.
On the future plans of the company, Maghazi said that Aman Holding aims to reach Total volume of transactions to 45 billion pounds by the end of 900, and the company intends to expand into new markets, including Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, adding that the company also intends to introduce a prepaid security card and develop a supply chain for companies, and the company will also provide a digital service that will allow individuals to start associations through a widespread safety network, as well as the AMAN service Acceptance and banking agent service from safety.
Mohamed Wehbe, CEO of Products and Technology, Aman Holding, explained that the company is constantly working on developing its digital infrastructure to ensure the highest The quality of financial technology services and the provision of a smooth and secure user experience, to attract more merchants and consumers who prefer to use cash in their daily transactions, and encourage them to implement the concept of the cashless economy that the country is heading towards.
Wehbe revealed that in the year 2022, the company launched its pioneering application AMAN-SuperApp to be a comprehensive and integrated digital platform linking the services of the company’s various arms such as electronic payment, installment services and e-commerce, as well as financing, stating that the number of application users reached 900 thousand users, and the value of the parameters through the application 60 one million pound.